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OPINION

Don't join Wegmans boycott over wine

Editorial Board
Published 4:34 p.m. ET Feb. 16, 2017

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USA TODAY taste-tests Trump Winery wines, which Donald Trump has boasted are among the best in the world.

A wine expert taste-tested four wines from the Trump Winery in Virginia. From left: A 2014 Chardonnay, a 2014 Meritage, a 2013 New World Reserve and a 2009 Sparkling Blanc de Blanc.(Photo: Michael Struening, USA TODAY)

At least, that is the conclusion of a few USA Today journalists and a New York City wine consultant after they taste tested wine from the Trump Winery last March, when Donald Trump was running for President.

"Brash, blustery or bombastic – words often used to describe the take-no-prisoners neophyte politician – did not leap to mind," the review added.

So. while it seems there is really nothing wrong with the wine itself, its maker is leading some folks to boycott Wegmans. That's because Wegmans sells the wine, produced in Virginia, at its stores in that state.

We doubt the proposed boycott will go over very big in Rochester, where Wegmans is part of the air we breathe. But that is a good thing.

Companies like Wegmans are increasingly finding themselves caught in a political conundrum. Answering consumer demands — such as to stop selling bottles form the Trump Winery — means making a statement about the President, but so does not answering those demands. So what is a business to do?

In a polarized environment, it is hard to keep every customer happy — something Wegmans is usually pretty good at.

With social media, boycott messages are spreading farther and faster. And, technology makes it easier than ever to act.

For example, the Democratic Coalition Against Trump created an app called Boycott Trump to target companies owned by Trump, as well as businesses and people who the developers say are helping the President and his family make money. App users can simply pull out their mobile phones and scroll through a long list of places not to spend their hard earned cash. And a survey released this week shows that can, indeed, impact a company's bottom line. Voting with your wallet often works.

But Wegmans is not a political candidate. It is a business that provides jobs and many other benefits to the communities where its stores are located.

It is also not the only company that sells Trump Winery wines. In fact, there is at least one liquor store, not owned by Wegmans, right here in Rochester where you can find a bottle.

If the end goal is to keep your dime out of the Trump bank account, then don't buy Trump products. If you feel the opposite, go shopping for them. Eventually the market will determine the winner, without causing collateral damage.